Has a similar scene as this one played out at your house?
“Honey, I invited the Stranger family over for supper this week.”
“You invited who? The Strangers! Why’d you do that? We don’t know anything about them. They look weird and I don’t even think they go to church. They could be a family of serial killers! Have you seen that oldest kid of theirs?” [@more@]
Maybe you chuckled as you read this. I did as I wrote it. But, God forgive us, we have become a fearful, self-centered, inhospitable society. I’m not saying, “throw caution to the wind” and not practice good safety habits, or exercise a discerning spirit. I’m talking about expressing real Christian love to those around us.
Instruction 2: I Peter 4:9, “Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.”
Some of us find it hard to tolerate family much less accept a stranger into our home. So what’s the big deal about hospitality? We work hard. There are our jobs, school functions, sport functions and religious functions. When do we have time to be hospitable.
The word hospitable means “kindness to strangers”. Our heart and our home must be filled with kindness. We must show forth the loving-kindness of the Lord to others. It is the result of being filled with the Spirit and walking in His character. So, what’s so special about sharing a little kindness? I can be nice to animals and old people.
First of all, kindness meets a human need. The first part of Proverbs 19: 22 says, “What is desired in a man is kindness.” What a blessing to know that when we are kind to someone, we are meeting a need. Not just a physical or emotional need, but we are presenting to them the answer to a spiritual need.
Paul tells Titus to remind the people “to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.”
Our kindness is a presentation of the Gospel to those around us. We are warned in Romans 2:4 to recognize that it is the goodness (kindness) of God that leads us to repentance.
King David dedicated a whole Psalm to the kindness of God. “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him all you peoples! For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.” Psalms 117
This last-days church should be a people of kindness. The world is becoming more fearful and distrusting of one another. We are of a different kingdom. A heavenly kingdom, a kingdom not of this world, where a little bit of kindness can bring spiritual results. It can usher in the supernatural. Hebrews 13:12 says, “ Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”
Is the attitude of my heart such as would attract a heavenly visitation? Would God feel welcome in my home? Abraham was a man that God could visit with and confide in. Genesis 18 tells us the story of how Abraham looked up from his tent door and there were three men standing by him. He immediately made preparations to serve them a meal and see to their needs. It was during this visit the Lord promised the birth of Isaac and shared with Abraham the planned destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
“Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.” Great things can happen!
Rev. Tura Zapata, Texas, USA